Ibb & Obb turns PSN upside down in 2013

Hi, my name is Richard Boeser. I’m the Creative Director for ibb and obb, a cooperative puzzle-platformer with a gravity twist, that launches on PSN next spring.

In the earliest stages of development the game was called ‘Brothers’. Looking back at that now it means a lot more than I thought it did. My fondest memories of games are those that I played together with my brother or close friends. It has always surprised me how few games are really designed around two player interaction.

With ibb and obb we’ve tried to do just that. The gameplay revolves around a world with two directions of gravity, but even more so it’s about the interaction between the players. All elements in the game are designed for two, ranging from the way you solve puzzles to handling enemies. For example, when one player takes out an enemy, the other tries to be ready on the other side of the split to fetch the reward.

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In the game you explore five worlds, consisting of three levels each. Visually the mood starts out very colourful and adventurous, slowly changing into a somewhat darker atmosphere. The same transition can be found in the music, all of which is composed by Kettel. I’ve been a fan of his music for a long time and was super happy when he said he’d gladly join the project. His music has a pleasant melancholic feel to it that really fits the visual mood of the game.

Throughout the game new mechanics are introduced that add to the previous ones. Some change the way you can move around, like the gravity bubbles, while others change what you can see depending on the distance between the players. In the end puzzles become quite complex, but by then you should have become well practised in double gravity acrobatics.

This is our first production and it’s very exciting to see it getting closer and closer to release. Currently we’re polishing the game and setting up the online multiplayer mode. I look forward to hearing your opinions and keeping you up-to-date on the development. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

For more frequent updates about the state of the game, you can find ibb and obb on Facebook and Twitter.

We have no fixed plans for Vita yet. We’re focusing on the PS3 version first. Especially because the game is designed specifically for two players. That said, I would love to see it on a Vita though : )

I like both of those a lot
Think the comparison with VVVVVV makes a lot of sense. We started with one fresh game mechanic and built a world around that. To me Katamari Damacy has always been an excelent example of designing that way.

I agree, local co-op has some of my all-time favourite gaming moments, and as I was reading this I was looking forward to more of that. Don’t really have any questions -there’s not much to go on yet- but I’m glad to see you making the effort to put online multiplayer. I ASSUME it’s co-op as an alternative to the local, but you would know better than I if there’s some other kind of multiplayer there. That’s kind of like a question. Almost?

It’s understandable if the gameplay and music are perfect fits and that custom music would throw you off, just wanted to ask because it can be relaxing depending on the kind of games you play. Now I’m even more interested to see how it will work in the final product!

You just mentioned that the game is always coop. What happens when a buddy drops out halfway the game, though? Does the AI take over or can you control both ibb and obb at the same time (if the controls are simple enough)?

We haven’t decided on all the details of online multiplayer. In the case of your buddy dropping out you would be able to control both characters simultaneously using both analogue sticks.

By playing through the game you automatically unlock the levels you have visited and can always return to those. You would have to find another online buddy first, but you would never lose a lot of progress.

Thanks for your replies! Hmm that last reply raises an interesting thought. I played a platformer -Ms Splosion Man on XBLA- which had a mode called ‘Two girls one controller’. The name still makes me cringe every time, but the mode was crazy and awesome; you would have two people holding the same controller and using a stick each to navigate.

While I can’t think of why someone with siblings or nearby gaming friends wouldn’t be able to get two controllers in the same room, it would be a welcome addition if you could do it.

The objective might indeed not be so clear. There is a backstory to the game, but we don’t show that in the game through texts or cutscenes. We mostly use that story to design a world that to us makes sense.

For example: The small ball like creatures (Fins) are evolutionary closely related to ibb and obb. That tells us that they will behave the same when they bump into an enemy or pass through a warp.

The easiest objective would be “go right” and if you pay attention you’ll find out what is happening : )

This certainly looks like a unique and innovative take on the platforming genre, so colour me intrigued! I like the music and minimalist art style – to me, it’s very reminiscent of Nifflas’ Knytt games.

It’s true we thought we would release end of this year. However quite some people warned us about this busy period of the year. Many big publishers will promote their holiday titles and for us it would be harder to get noticed.

So we decided to postpone, which also gives us the possibility to add online multiplayer at launch.